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Hockey Muskies win in openers

Thursday, 15 November 2012 - 2:07pm

By Lucas Punkari

Both Muskie hockey teams began their 2012/13 NorWOSSA campaigns on a winning note here Tuesday night, earning victories over the Dryden Eagles.
At the Ice For Kids Arena, the boys’ squad opened its quest for a seventh-straight league title with a convincing 7-2 thumping of the Eagles.

“We were scrambling a bit in the first period, and the second period was penalty-filled but the power play didn’t quite work as well as it had in our practices,” noted head coach Shawn Jourdain.
“But we had a really good third period,” he stressed.
Ahwennaseh Mitchell had two goals and an assist in his debut for the black-and-gold while team captain Nick Kaun scored once and assisted on two others.
Braden Webb hit the twine twice, with teammates Tyler Fontana and Cole Godbout adding singles.
“We weren’t getting the puck out of our end at first,” noted Webb, who is in Grade 11.
“But as the game went on, we started to settle down out there and we got some shots on goal as a result,” he added.
Joel Zieroth had a goal and an assist for the Eagles, with Cam Zappitelli also beating Muskie goalie Ryan Ferguson.
Over in the ’52 Canadians Arena, meanwhile, the Muskie girls withstood a late comeback bid by the Eagles to kick off their NorWOSSA schedule with a 6-4 win.
“It was a great start to the year and we really came out strong,” enthused head coach Scott Clendenning.
“There were a couple of mistakes in the third for them to get a couple of quick ones to make it a game,” he admitted.
“But it’s one of those things where as the year goes on, you have to play mistake-free hockey.
“If we can do that, we’ll be okay,” he noted.
After the Eagles scored twice in a 17-second span to get within one, Grade 11 forward Shilo Beck netted her third goal of the night with 3:48 to go to help seal the victory for the home squad.
“Scott just told us during the time-out [after Dryden made it a one-goal game] to calm down and play the way that we could,” recalled Beck, who has had an assist to go along with her hat trick.
“We went out there and did that, and we were able to get that goal back shortly afterwards,” she added.
Beck’s linemates, Amy Penner and Jessica Coran, had successful nights on offence, too. Coran had two goals and an assist while Penner chipped in with three helpers.
Shelby Tymkin and Amber Jourdain also scored for the black-and-gold, with goalie Calie Clendenning earning the win between the pipes.
Ashley Kropelin, Emmy Arsenault, Liv Carter, and Martina Wintle were the Eagle goal scorers.
Both Muskie squads will be back in action this weekend, with the boys heading to Morden, Man. for a three-day tournament that starts tomorrow.
The girls will head south of the border for an exhibition contest in Proctor on Saturday before visiting Sioux Lookout for a league game Sunday.